Mitchell Springtime (film)
| director = Kunihiko Yuyama | producer = Choji Yoshikawa Tomoyuki Igarashi Takemoto Mori | writer = Takeshi Shudō | starring = Rica Matsumoto Ikue Ōtani Mayumi Iizuka Yūji Ueda Satomi Kōrogi Megumi Hayashibara Shin-ichiro Miki Inuko Inuyama Masachika Ichimura Kōichi Yamadera | narrator = Unshō Ishizuka | music = Shinji Miyazaki | cinematography = Hisao Shirai | editing = Toshio Henmi Yutaka Itō | studio = Studio Pierrot MITCHELL Project Nickelodeon Movies | distributor = Viacom Networks Japan K.K. (Japan) Paramount Home Media Distribution (USA) | released = | runtime = 75 minutes | country = Japan | language = Japanese | budget = ¥3 billion (US $30 million) | gross = $163.6 million }} Pokémon: The First Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back, commonly referred to as Pokémon: The First Movie, originally released as , is a 1998 Japanese anime film directed by Kunihiko Yuyama, the chief director of the ''Pokémon television series. It is the first theatrical release in the Pokémon franchise. It was released in Japan on July 18, 1998. The English-language adaptation, produced by Nintendo and 4Kids Entertainment, was released in North America on November 10, 1999. The film primarily consists of three segments: Pikachu's Vacation, a 21-minute feature focusing on the series mascot Pikachu; Origin of Mewtwo, a 10-minute featurette that functions as a prologue to the main feature; and Mewtwo Strikes Back, the main 75 minute film feature. The featurette was added on for later releases and eventually dubbed as a special feature in the U.S. release of the TV special (that was released as a direct-to-video follow-up film sequel in the U.S.A.) Pokémon: Mewtwo Returns as The Uncut Story of Mewtwo's Origin. Although Pokémon was extremely popular when the film was released, the English-language version received negative reviews from film critics. Despite the reviews, it was a box office success worldwide, topping the box office charts in its opening weekend, and eventually grossing US$163.6 million worldwide. Plot based on Mitchell Springtime. Cast Production Kunihiko Yuyama directed the original Japanese version of the film, while Choji Yoshikawa served as producer and Takeshi Shudo as the writer. Norman J. Grossfeld, former president of 4Kids Productions, served as the film's producer for the English-language North American version. Grossfeld, Michael Haigney, and John Touhey wrote the English adaptation, and Haigney served as the English version's voice director. The English version was heavily edited from the original Japanese one ; along with various content edits, Mewtwo was changed from a morally confused character into a more straightforward villain like Genesect (from Pokémon the Movie: Genesect and the Legend Awakened) so the audience would be able to identify it as the villain more easily. Furthermore, the moral message of the movie was changed from "all life is equal" to "fighting is wrong". The English version editors translated various Japanese texts, including those on signs and on buildings, into English. Shogakukan digitally altered the backgrounds for both the American English and Kanzenban versions. In the English dub, three Pokémon are referred to by the wrong name. Pidgeot was called Pidgeotto, Scyther was called Alakazam, and Sandslash was called Sandshrew. 4Kids said that they decided to leave the Alakazam and Sandshrew errors when they noticed it as something for the children watching to notice and because they felt it was plausible in context that Team Rocket could make a mistake.Pokémon: The First Movie DVD Audio Commentary Grossfeld also had new music re-recorded for the film's release, citing that it "would better reflect what American kids would respond to". John Loeffler of Rave Music produced the English-language music and composed the film score with Ralph Schuckett. Loeffler also collaborated with John Lissauer and Manny Corallo to produce the English-language "Pikachu's Vacation" score. Grossfeld also revealed that the English version of the film "combines the visual sense of the best Japanese animation with the musical sensibility of Western pop culture". Marketing campaign The first trailer was released in August 1999 and was shown before The Iron Giant and Mystery Men. The second trailer was released in the fall of 1999 and was attached to The Bachelor. For the film's theatrical release, select theaters would give away exclusive Pokémon trading cards, to capitalize on the success of the trading card game. The cards featured likenesses of Electabuzz, Pikachu, Mewtwo, and Dragonite, and were dispensed in random order for each week it was in that particular theater. The subsequent releases of Pokémon: The Movie 2000 and Pokémon 3: The Movie featured a similar marketing campaign. For the 2000 home video release of The First Movie, a limited edition Mewtwo card (different from that used for the theatrical release) was packaged with the video. Toshihiro Ono, author of Pokémon: The Electric Tale of Pikachu, created a manga version of the film. He received the scripts and continuity in April 1998. The manga was released in May of that year. Ono's editors asked him to draw Mewtwo's birth, which was not included in the film. At a later point the anime staff wrote the Origin of Mewtwo special, which does not match his story. Ono said that "there's not much connection between the manga and the movie". VIZ Media. May 10, 2000. Retrieved on May 31, 2009. Release The film was released into cinemas in the United States from Warner Bros. Family Entertainment under the Kids' WB banner (which broadcast the anime in the US). Re-release The film was theatrically re-released exclusively at Cinemark Theatres in the United States on October 29 and November 1, 2016. The re-release included the Pikachu's Vacation short film from the original release. Reception Critical response The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes gave the film's English adaptation a 14% approval rating based on 79 reviews, with the consensus being: "Audiences other than children will find very little to entertain them". On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 35 out of 100 based on 25 reviews, meaning "generally unfavorable reviews". Anime News Network review called the main feature "contradictory", stating that "the anti-violent message that is pretty much crammed down our throats works directly against the entire point of the franchise" and criticized Pikachu's Summer Vacation for being "incoherent, pointless and fluffy". Patrick Butters, of The Washington Times, accused Pokémon: The First Movie of taking ideas from other films such as Star Wars and being "just another cog in the mighty Nintendo machine".Butters, Patrick. "Lame Script, Wooden Characters Make Pokémon a Joke, Man; The Washington Times. November 10, 1999. pg 5. Michael Wood, of England's Coventry Evening Telegraph said that Pikachu's Summer Vacation "can only be described as a mind-numbingly tedious piece, with no discernible storyline and lots of trippy images and silly voices". Wood did note that the main feature had a "mildly intriguing premise", but said that the rest of the film "was like a martial arts movie without the thrills".Michael Wood, "Cinema: Okay Pokey; Go2," Coventry Evening Telegraph (England) April 14, 2000. Box office Pokémon: The First Movie was an instant commercial success, debuting at number one on the U.S. box office charts and making $10,096,848 on its Wednesday opening day. During its first weekend, it grossed $31,036,678 and went on to generate a total of $50,754,104 since its Wednesday launch in 3,043 theaters, averaging to about $10,199 per venue over the three-day span. It also held the record for being the animated feature with the highest opening weekend in November, which would be broken two weeks later by Toy Story 2. Despite a 59.72% drop in its second weekend to $12,502,869, the film made $67,372,092 within 12 days. It closed on February 27, 2000, earning $85,744,662 in North America, and $77,900,000 in other territories. Worldwide, the film made $163,644,662, making it the highest-grossing anime film in the United States and the fourth highest-grossing animated film based on a television show worldwide. It was also the highest-grossing film based on a video game at the time, until 2001's Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. HD remaster The movie was Digitally remastered for high definition and aired by TV Tokyo on May 3, 2013. It was also aired by other TV stations in Japan. It aired on Cartoon Network in the United States on January 4, 2014. The HD version came to Blu-ray on the Pikachu Movie Premium 1998-2010 box set in Japan on November 28, 2012. Viz Media released a limited edition Blu-ray Steelbook containing the first three Pokémon films would be released on February 9, 2016, along with single releases on DVD. In accommodation with the 20th anniversary of the Pokémon franchise, a digitally remastered version of the film was released on iTunes, Amazon and Google Play on February 27, 2016. The film received a limited theatrical re-release, through select Cinemark theaters in the United States, on October 29 and November 1, 2016, to help celebrate Pokémon's 20th anniversary. Soundtrack ''Pokémon: The First Movie Music From and Inspired by the Motion Picture'' }} http://www.allmusic.com/album/Pokémon-the-first-movie-r443069 |rev2 = Entertainment Weekly |rev2Score = C+ }} Pokémon: The First Movie Music From and Inspired by the Motion Picture is the soundtrack to the first Pokémon film in the United States, It was released on November 10, 1999, on Compact Disc and Compact Cassette. Some of the songs were featured in the animated short Pikachu's Vacation, and some songs did not feature in either the short or the movie at all. The CD contains extra features, such as Pokémon videos and a screensaver. When it was released it included a promotion for one to send a Proof of Purchase to receive an exclusive promo Jigglypuff card from the Pokémon TCG that lasted for a few months. Don't Say You Love Me by M2M was released as a single from the album. [[#endnote 1|'1']] | writer1 = | extra1 = Billy Crawford | length1 = 3:22 | title2 = Don't Say You Love Me | note2 = [[#endnote 2|'2']] | writer2 = | extra2 = M2M | length2 = 3:46 | title3 = It Was You | note3 = [[#endnote 3|'3']] | writer3 = | extra3 = Ashley Ballard with So Plush | length3 = 4:18 | title4 = We're a Miracle | note4 = [[#endnote 2|'2']] | writer4 = | extra4 = Christina Aguilera | length4 = 4:12 | title5 = Soda Pop | note5 = [[#endnote 3|'3']] | writer5 = | extra5 = Britney Spears | length5 = 3:23 | title6 = Somewhere, Someday | note6 = [[#endnote 3|'3']] | writer6 = | extra6 = *NSYNC | length6 = 4:07 | title7 = Get Happy | note7 = [[#endnote 3|'3']] | writer7 = | extra7 = B*Witched | length7 = 3:06 | title8 = (Hey You) Free Up Your Mind | note8 = [[#endnote 2|'2']] | writer8 = | extra8 = Emma Bunton | length8 = 3:24 | title9 = Fly with Me | note9 = [[#endnote 3|'3']] | writer9 = | extra9 = 98° | length9 = 3:52 | title10 = Lullaby | note10 = [[#endnote 3|'3']] | writer10 = | extra10 = Mandah | length10 = 4:00 | title11 = Vacation | note11 = [[#endnote 4|'4']] | writer11 = | extra11 = Vitamin C | length11 = 3:20 | title12 = Makin' My Way (Any Way That I Can) | note12 = [[#endnote 3|'3']] | writer12 = | extra12 = Billie Piper | length12 = 4:25 | title13 = Catch Me If You Can | note13 = [[#endnote 4|'4']] | writer13 = | extra13 = Angela Via | length13 = 3:28 | title14 = (Have Some) Fun with the Funk | note14 = [[#endnote 3|'3']] | writer14 = | extra14 = Aaron Carter | length14 = 3:34 | title15 = If Only Tears Could Bring You Back | note15 = [[#endnote 2|'2']] | writer15 = | extra15 = Midnight Sons | length15 = 4:03 | title16 = Brother My Brother | note16 = [[#endnote 1|'1']] | writer16 = | extra16 = Blessid Union of Souls | length16 = 3:49 }} ;Denotes: *1 ^ These tracks were featured in the actual film. *2 ^ These tracks were featured in the end credits. *3 ^ These tracks were not in the movie or the short at all. *4 ^ These tracks were not in the movie itself, but were part of Pikachu's Vacation. Charts Certifications ''Pokémon: The First Movie Original Motion Picture Score'' Alongside this soundtrack, the orchestral score from the movie was also released on the CD Pokémon: The First Movie Original Motion Picture Score. #"The Birth of Mewtwo" #"Dragonite Takes Flight" #"Invitation to Danger" #"Surviving the Storm" #"Mewtwo's Island" #"Pokémon Vs. Clone" #"Tears of Life" #"This Is My World Now" #"Three on Three" #"Mew's Theme" #"Freeing Charizard" #"Adventure in Paradise" #"All Good Things Must End" ''Sound Picture Box: The Birth of Mewtwo'' consists of two discs. The first disc contains episodes of the Japanese radio serial , released only in Japan and later adapted into The Story of Mewtwo's Origin. The second disc contains full score of the original Japanese release of the film in addition to two theme songs sung in Japanese. ;Disc one # # # #: Also titled "Mewtwo and Amber" # # ;Disc two # # # # # #: Re-recording of the Japanese opening theme of Pokémon: Indigo League #: Lyrics by , composed by Hirokazu Tanaka, arranged by , sung by Rica Matsumoto # # #: Also titled "Flying Dragonite" # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # #: Lyrics by , composed by Hirokazu Tanaka, arranged by Tanaka and Kan Sawada References External links * * * * * Category:2000s adventure films Category:2007 animated films Category:2007 anime films Category:1999 soundtracks Category:Atlantic Records soundtracks Category:Artificial uterus in fiction Category:Cloning in fiction Category:Fantasy-comedy films Category:Film soundtracks Category:Films directed by Kunihiko Yuyama Category:Genetic engineering in fiction Category:Japanese films Category:Mitchell Van Morgan films Category:Mitchell Elemental Series films Category:Mitchell Elemental Series Category:Pop soundtracks Category:Pierrot (company) Category:Nickelodeon Movies films Category:Paramount Pictures animated films Category:Paramount Pictures direct-to-video films Category:Paramount Pictures films Category:Spring